Liverpool Daily Post - Arts Blogtag:blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk,2008-02-08:/ldpartsblog//12562013-08-21T16:47:17ZA mixture of news, reviews and gossip from the Liverpool arts scene and beyond, covering theatre, music, dance and the visual artsMovable Type Enterprise 4.35-enPhotographs of life in a Palestinian village on show at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedraltag:blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk,2013:/ldpartsblog//1256.4129412013-08-21T16:42:47Z2013-08-21T16:47:17ZAn EXHIBITION of photographs taken by Palestinian children of everyday life in their military-occupied village has opened at the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral. Children in the West Bank village of Bil'in worked under the guidance of Liverpool photographer Elaine Stapleton to...Laura Davis
An EXHIBITION of photographs taken by Palestinian children of everyday life in their military-occupied village has opened at the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.

Children in the West Bank village of Bil'in worked under the guidance of Liverpool photographer Elaine Stapleton to produce a moving set of images.

The work was commissioned by Liverpool Friends of Bil'in, who work to end the human
rights violations suffered by the village's residents.

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The Silent Voices exhibition of nearly 40 photographs has hung in churches, universities and art centres throughout the North West since last November.

It is the latest in a string of activities over the past five years, including organising exchange visits, sending English language teachers, raising money, and linking Liverpool groups with groups in the village.

Elaine said: "Using a camera can be very liberating. It can remove barriers and provide an opportunity to explore, celebrate, share experiences, and develop an understanding of each others' lives.

"I hope that these children will be able to share their stories and identities with their families, teachers and neighbours and with other people nationally and internationally.

"Through the project, they can record their culture and everyday life for future generations."

Silent Voices is at the Metropolitan Cathedral until August 26.

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'Cuckoo's Nest' gets ready to take flighttag:blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk,2013:/ldpartsblog//1256.4127942013-08-15T13:17:23Z2013-08-15T13:32:41ZA touch of classic movie magic is coming to New Brighton as 'One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest' takes to the stage in a theatre interpretation of the film. First performed six years ago where it sold out, the play...Rachael BenthamA touch of classic movie magic is coming to New Brighton as 'One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest' takes to the stage in a theatre interpretation of the film.

First performed six years ago where it sold out, the play has been brought back by popular demand this time to the Floral Pavilion instead of the small scale stage it started on.

The production is being run by Vesbim Media, a small not-for-profit company that hold the annual Wirral International Film Festival where filmmakers and audience members can attend for free.

Alan Veste, Director of the play, said: 'The Floral Pavilion is a bit more expensive so we thought as long as we breakeven that's fine. We don't want to charge too much, we want it to be reasonable. It's a platform for actors who don't normally have one from the community.'

The iconic film is a firm favourite with the director and the reason behind the decision to follow the film's style rather than the book's, as well as the belief that audiences would relate to it better.

Set inside a mental ward, the play follows the story of the patients as they plan to rebel against the head nurse encouraged and led by troublemaker R.P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson).

Outdoor scenes will use film footage captured by the company in a bid to breathe new life into the classic combining film and theatre and performed with a cast of 20 local people including rangers from Birkenhead Park.

Alan said: 'It's quite funny because all of the cast actually look like the film cast. Jimmy Mulhearn, who's playing Jack Nicholson's character, said I'd love to do that role and I said you can then because you look like him! The actor playing Danny Devito looks like Danny Devito and the actress playing Nurse Ratched really looks evil!'

Around 150 tickets to the play are being donated to Wirral charities, divided equally for them to sell to help them to raise money.

The charities are Age UK Wirral who support elderly people, The Yellow House Liverpool who provide activities for disrupted youths and The Purple Team Wirral run by two parents who lost their daughter Annie Kell to a brain tumour and fundraise money for several charities.

The production will run for two nights from August 22nd-August 23rd. Tickets are on general sale for £12.50. For more information please go to http://www.vesbim.co.uk and to book tickets visit http://www.floralpavilion.com or call 0151 666 0000.

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Everybody's tweeting about: Chester's Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatretag:blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk,2013:/ldpartsblog//1256.4127542013-08-15T11:00:34Z2013-08-14T11:32:35Z[View the story "Everyone's tweeting about: Chester's Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre" on Storify]...Laura Davis[View the story "Everyone's tweeting about: Chester's Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre" on Storify]]]>
Keith Coventry on Tate Britain's BP Walk through British Arttag:blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk,2013:/ldpartsblog//1256.4126782013-08-14T11:00:26Z2013-08-14T11:04:21ZSPOTTED John Moores Painting Prize 2010 winner Keith Coventry in this video of artists talking about their work being included in the BP Walk through British Art at Tate Britain. He's at the end but it's worth watching right through....Laura Davis
SPOTTED John Moores Painting Prize 2010 winner Keith Coventry in this video of artists talking about their work being included in the BP Walk through British Art at Tate Britain.

He's at the end but it's worth watching right through.

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Gaze at Pridetag:blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk,2013:/ldpartsblog//1256.4125162013-08-03T18:14:08Z2013-08-03T18:24:22ZAgainst the backdrop of Liverpool's third annual Pride festival, Marcus Wemyss is holding a one-day-only exhibition exploring craft, art and love. I met him at the Fallout Factory on Dale Street to ask him some questions about his fringe event,...Linda PittwoodAgainst the backdrop of Liverpool's third annual Pride festival, Marcus Wemyss is holding a one-day-only exhibition exploring craft, art and love. I met him at the Fallout Factory on Dale Street to ask him some questions about his fringe event, Gaze.

LP Pride is usually known for outdoor and performative events - why did you want to do an art exhibition as part of the event?

MW I noticed all the Pride's around the country had fringe events - Manchester, Stoke - and I wanted to help bring that to Liverpool. Liverpool has a strong LGBT cultural landscape spearheaded by Homotopia and it makes sense to exhibit when the city is full of people who might want to see some art.

LP How come you are only a two day event?

MW We just wanted to be here for Pride day. We had an opening event last night, which was really well attended and good fun.

LP Can you tell me a bit about the exhibition?

MW All the artists are part of a collective called Surface, of which I am the Director. We wanted to exhibit fine art alongside more craft-based pieces and smaller items for sale. The five artists in the show are me, Nick Franklin, Russell Gregory, Denise O'Sullivan and Kate Lynch. All apart from Nick are based in Stoke. It might surprise people to know that there is a really strong community of artists in Stoke!

LP Can you tell me a bit more about the artists in the show?

MW As I mentioned, Nick is the only artist not based in Stoke, he is from Manchester but exhibits widely. Kate Lynch does a lot of work with a gallery called Airspace - her work is concerned with regeneration. Modernism and urban life seems to unite all of the artists in the show. The gift pieces are all sort of up-cycled and recycled. Denise O'Sullivan makes ceramics, picking up on Stoke's heritage but combining it with kitsch imagery. Russell Gregory produces quite haunting, spiky paintings of the human form.

LP Can you tell me a bit more about your work?

MW Its mainly erotic art that I produce, working in impasto with a palette knife, putting down the main information and then working over it. I use the internet as source material, but I tweak and change images - make them bolder. I have also included some of my newer digital work in the show - it combines masculinity through suit culture and femininity represented by flowers, and explores these ideas using manipulated pornographic images.

LP Are your pictures meant to challenge people?

MW They are meant to catch people off guard. I play with attraction and repulsion. Some are more tender, I get a really good response from people to my Kiss series. It's as much about longing and tenderness as sexuality - I paint how I feel. If people do object to an image of two men kissing, I hope that they will leave asking themselves the question: why do I feel like that? Not everyone will automatically accept it. That's why its really good to do shows during Pride.

LP Who are you influenced by?

MW My heroes are Eric Fisher, Marlena Dumas - her work is so erotic - and David Hockney creeps in.

LP Do you have any particular partners in the city?

MW Joan Burnett from Liverpool Pride has been great, as have Fallout Factory and the Stanley Street Quarter. We are planning to come back next year and start more of a dialogue with artists in Liverpool - they seem to have loads of local support.

LP What are your plans in the short term future?

MW Stoke Pride next week, we are exhibiting as part of the fringe there - no one believes me that Stoke has a Pride! Then Manchester Pride next month.

marcusjwemyss@hotmail.co.uk
@surfaceltd

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Things that go bump in the night at the Plaza Cinema...tag:blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk,2013:/ldpartsblog//1256.4125132013-08-03T12:14:19Z2013-08-03T12:44:53ZTeenage horror film fans are being given a fantastic opportunity to become film-makers by creating their own ghost film to be screened at a local cinema and it's a project I most certainly recommend. The Plaza Community Cinema in Crosby...Rachael BenthamTeenage horror film fans are being given a fantastic opportunity to become film-makers by creating their own ghost film to be screened at a local cinema and it's a project I most certainly recommend.

The Plaza Community Cinema in Crosby are holding the event in partnership with Cottonfield films and are asking for teens on their summer holidays aged from 13-19 to get involved in making their own scary film.

The aspiring film crew will get help to script, act, film and produce their own ghost movie with theatrical make-up provided and a premiere of the finished piece at the cinema.

When I was a high school student, myself and two friends wrote, filmed and cast our own vampire film (before the likes of Twilight caught on) for our GCSE media coursework and it was one of the most fun and creative things I've ever done.

Several nights throughout the week we would go out on location armed with a camera, a tripod and of course the essential fake blood and vampire make-up.

As well as the laughs we had during shooting, there was no better feeling than seeing something you've created from scratch come together and be able to show it to your friends and family and the entire online world if you want.

It also inspired me to take up film studies at A Level where I made two further films and found it was a subject that I really enjoyed studying and gave me confidence using a camera and editing suites which comes in surprisingly useful.

If you are a young, creative person looking to do something interesting with your time off that is both fun and rewarding, then why not give it a go!

The Plaza film project is completely free and will run over the summer holidays starting from 5th August-29th August 2013 from 10am-3pm.

For more information or to book your place contact Christine Physick on 0151 928 1530 or e-mail Christine@plazacinema.org.uk

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Everyone's tweeting about: Alive: Rankin Faces Deathtag:blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk,2013:/ldpartsblog//1256.4122012013-07-19T11:30:22Z2013-07-19T11:33:38Z[View the story "Everyone's tweeting about: Alive: Rankin Faces Death" on Storify]...Laura Davis[View the story "Everyone's tweeting about: Alive: Rankin Faces Death" on Storify]]]>
Community based art gallery could be the start of something specialtag:blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk,2013:/ldpartsblog//1256.4121622013-07-18T11:11:45Z2013-07-18T11:54:11ZMy name is Andrea and I'm one of Liverpool's 5 Cultural Champions and this is a guest post for the Liverpool Daily Post Arts blog. One of the abiding memories for me as a Cultural Champion was taking part in...Cultural Champions
My name is Andrea and I'm one of Liverpool's 5 Cultural Champions and this is a guest post for the Liverpool Daily Post Arts blog.

One of the abiding memories for me as a Cultural Champion was taking part in the Giant Spectacular in 2012. The best part of the whole event for me was taking an event out of the city centre and engaging with people further afield. And the people of North Liverpool did us proud!

Which is why I was so thrilled on Tuesday to see the launch of an exhibition called "Facing the City" at the newly opened Art Gallery on Stanley Road, Bootle. The brainchild of artist Alice Lenkiewicz, The Art Gallery is smack-bang in the middle of the community and Alice has some big plans for the little place.

Displaying work by local artists, Alice also plans to develop The Art Gallery so that artists can use the space for workshops and to preview their work.

She's also keen to engage with the local community and the first event is an open day on Tuesday 23 July from 12-5pm, so do pop along to catch the Facing the City exhibition and talk to Alice herself. Having been there, I can tell you what a warm and welcoming place it is.

The work up on the walls is quite extraordinary. Facing the City is made up of work by local and national artists showing their interpretations of people they know from past and present. Covering a whole range of characters, there are some fascinating pieces from artists like Jazamin Sinclair and photographers John Lloyd-Quayle, Michael Kirkham, Graham Smillie and Karl Raven and a particularly great picture "Maisie" by Adam Akins that I could have stared at all day long.

Every picture and every face has its own story to tell, such as Wesley Storey's image of the poet Henry Graham and Andy Green's magnificent portrait of April Ashley (who you must Google!). It's not often you get a chance to stare into the face of another person and study what makes it so beautiful and so unique and these artists and photographers have captured life in all its glory here.

Alice is also planning to run an arts and crafts month in The Arty Gallery during September, so keep an eye out and get involved. I'm keen to go back in a few months to see how this little gem of a place has developed.

You can find The Art Gallery at 30 Stanley Road, Bootle, L20 2AA and on Facebook at The Art Gallery page

You can follow Liverpool's Cultural Champions on our blog at liverpoolculturalchampions.com. We're also on Twitter @CultureChamps

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Guest blog: The making of Young Everyman Playhouse's Wind in the Willows trailer by Peter Greggstag:blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk,2013:/ldpartsblog//1256.4120662013-07-15T08:49:44Z2013-07-15T09:00:21ZPeter Greggs, YEP Communicators: AS VIRAL marketing is becoming a more important tool, the Young Communicators, a strand of the Young Everyman Playhouse, welcomed the opportunity to make a trailer for the coming YEP show of The Wind in the...Laura DavisPeter Greggs, YEP Communicators:

AS VIRAL marketing is becoming a more important tool, the Young Communicators, a strand of the Young Everyman Playhouse, welcomed the opportunity to make a trailer for the coming YEP show of The Wind in the Willows, to be performed at the end of July.

As well as creating flyers and e-letters for the show, the trailer gave us an opportunity to really show that this performance of The Wind in the Willows isn't your average run of the mill version.

The director, Chris Tomlinson and myself then formed a concept of what we wanted the trailer to show. We decided for it to be calm, quaint and 'typical' rural life, until the end, showing the twist in this particular tale.

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We headed to the performance location, Croxteth Hall, with four of the Young Actors...in full weasel/badger make-up and a tonne of props. Apart from the suspect looks we received walking around the grounds with a lamp and a printer, the day went very well, we got some beautiful footage of the lovely grounds at Croxteth Hall and we're all very happy with the result, hope you enjoy it and will join us for the performance! #GoWeasels]]>
West Side Story: My childhood favouritetag:blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk,2013:/ldpartsblog//1256.4120432013-07-12T10:55:22Z2013-07-15T09:28:47ZSitting in the garden sulking at the age of eight, my dad appeared exasperated with me. "I want to go to the show!" I cried, pouting and stifling back tears whilst I angrily prodded at the soil. I had been...Rachael BenthamSitting in the garden sulking at the age of eight, my dad appeared exasperated with me.

"I want to go to the show!" I cried, pouting and stifling back tears whilst I angrily prodded at the soil.

I had been given the task of planting seeds in pots outside to distract me from the fact I wouldn't be going to my brother's primary school production of West Side Story that night. It hadn't worked.

My older brother was only in the choir, but it was the promise of the theatre and of one my favourite musical soundtracks which had led me to being upset.

When I was younger, my mum and dad would put on the soundtrack and we would dance around the room first energetically to the Latin sounds of 'America' and then slowly as my dad would pick me up and spin me around the room in a slow dance to 'Maria.'

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They were songs that reminded me of happy childhood memories and when I got older of the forbidden love story of Tony and Maria.

Now at the age of 21, it was to my excitement that I received an e-mail from the Liverpool Empire that the cast has been announced for a new showing of the musical at the theatre for September this year.

I've yet to see it on the stage and I'm determined to finally go see it.

Amongst the news was the revelation of the talented cast that will be portraying the tale of two rival gangs the Jets and the Sharks and of illicit romance channelling Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

Katie Hall will be playing rebellious and love-struck Maria, she recently starred as Christine in the Phantom of the Opera which I was lucky enough to have seen and where she impressed audiences with her angelic vocals and innocent stage presence.

Her other roles include the part of Cosette in Les Miserables on the West End.

The part of Tony will be played by actor Louis Maskell who I have not seen before but who has appeared in the national tour of Scrooge-The Musical.

Supporting roles Anita and Riff are to be played by Djalenga Scott and Jack Wilcox and the show will be directed and choreographed by Joey McKneely using the Jerome Robbins original choreography.

For further details of the cast and to watch the trailer go to www.westsidestorytheshow.com.Ticket prices start at £10. To book go to http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/west-side-story/liverpool-empire/

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Announced this week: Buddy, Grayson Perry, AND Festivaltag:blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk,2013:/ldpartsblog//1256.4119152013-07-12T07:30:42Z2013-07-15T09:21:22ZBuddy, Liverpool Empire, March 10-15, 2013 Buddy Holly was famous for roughly 18 months before his death in the 1959 plane crash that also claimed the lives of the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens, so it's pretty remarkable that this...Laura DavisBuddy, Liverpool Empire, March 10-15, 2013

Buddy Holly was famous for roughly 18 months before his death in the 1959 plane crash that also claimed the lives of the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens, so it's pretty remarkable that this musical about his road to success celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

During that time, actors playing the bespectacled musical icon on stage have sung the show's 17 songs 259,671 times. Around 185,000 guitar strings, totalling 92 miles in length, have been replaced and more than 203,000 plectrums used. The wardrobe department has had to replace over 3,250 pairs of trousers - due to Buddy sliding on his knees.

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The Vanity of Small Differences, Walker Art Gallery, May - August, 2014

Grayson Perry's tapestries, inspired by William Hogarth's A Rake's Progress, will be shown in Liverpool as part of an Art Fund tour of the UK. Made during the filming of his Channel 4 documentary All in the Best Possible Taste, they blend the class journey made by Hogarth's character Tim Rakewell with characters and incidents Perry encountered on trips through Sunderland, Tunbridge Wells and The Cotswolds during the TV series, and are the result of his belief that "nothing has as strong an influence on our aesthetic taste as the social class in which we grow up".

The festival of new cinema, digital culture and art returns to Liverpool in a blur of art and political activism. This year's artists will be considering issues as diverse as modern defence tactics and special effects. In previous years we've had footballs made of pig's bladders and David Shrigley drawing tattoo designs on people's skin.

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Paul McCartney auction for LIPAtag:blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk,2013:/ldpartsblog//1256.4119932013-07-10T12:56:31Z2013-07-15T09:31:15ZBidders were given the chance to meet Sir Paul McCartney in an online auction that ended yesterday with proceeds going to the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. The highest bidder won two VIP tickets to the legends show in Washington...Rachael BenthamBidders were given the chance to meet Sir Paul McCartney in an online auction that ended yesterday with proceeds going to the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.

The highest bidder won two VIP tickets to the legends show in Washington DC as part of his Out There Tour as well as entrance to a pre-show party and a meet and greet with the former Beatles front man himself.

Fans were able to bid for tickets on CharityBuzz.com over the period of a week.

The estimated value of the prize was $25,000 and LIPA believe that $100,000 (approx. £67,177.20) has been raised so far from this auction along with another that took place for two VIP tickets to a show in Nashville.

With ongoing projects to pay for, the money raised will go towards the LIPA building fund and will be a useful resource as the university have just had plans to open a free school approved by the government which could be opened by September next year.

Marketing and Press Officer at LIPA, Allan Brown, said: "The money raised by the Paul McCartney charity ticket auction will be used to help fund the renovation of 68 Hope Street. This is the former Liverpool College of Art building, which LIPA purchased in 2012."

"LIPA degree and foundation certificate classes currently taught in our 70 Hope Street building will be taught in 68 Hope Street from September 2014 and 70 Hope Street will house LIPA Primary School."

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The University was founded by Sir Paul McCartney and Mark Featherstone-Witty, the current principle, in 1996 and is the only accredited Performing Arts University in the world. In the past, McCartney has attended graduations at the institution as well as backing several campaigns.

The 71-year old supports the work of numerous charities alongside LIPA, including PETA, The Vegetarian Society which persuades people to be come vegetarian to reduce suffering, and Nordoff-Robbins music therapy which helps ill, disabled and traumatised people through music.

More opportunities for fans will become available next month as the annual Beatles Auction containing over 300 pieces of memorabilia will be held at LIPA on Saturday August 24th.

The auction taking place in the Paul McCartney Auditorium will include a black tie which belonged to John Lennon and a series of fully autographed records. Proceeds will not go to charity.

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Everyone's tweeting about: The Kite Runner at the Liverpool Playhousetag:blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk,2013:/ldpartsblog//1256.4119122013-07-08T14:37:29Z2013-07-08T14:47:59Z[View the story "Twitter Views: The Kite Runner at the Liverpool Playhouse" on Storify]...Laura Davis[View the story "Twitter Views: The Kite Runner at the Liverpool Playhouse" on Storify]]]>
Guest blog: The Golden Aces author Paul M Berry on why he set his novels in Liverpooltag:blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk,2013:/ldpartsblog//1256.4118822013-07-05T16:29:41Z2013-07-05T16:54:48ZLIVERPOOL writer Paul M Berry joins us as a guest blogger for this post about why he chose to set his crime trilogy The Golden Aces in his home city. The first novel, Poisoned Arrows, is out now and he...Laura Davis

LIVERPOOL writer Paul M Berry joins us as a guest blogger for this post about why he chose to set his crime trilogy The Golden Aces in his home city. The first novel, Poisoned Arrows, is out now and he has already completed the second, Shattered Empire.

Why Liverpool?

When I started writing my first book; Poisoned Arrows, in the summer of 2008, the decision to set in Liverpool seemed like a fairly simple one. After all, the city was halfway through its Capital of Culture adventure, and the previous few months had seen the emergence of the Echo Arena and Liverpool One, transforming the city centre into a vibrant, cultural hotspot. It offered the perfect setting to a contemporary crime thriller. Yet as the story progressed, and my one book morphed into a trilogy, the question of 'Why Liverpool?' only grew in significance. This is my attempt to answer that question.

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So, why set a novel in Liverpool? Being a local lad I was always susceptible to the natural inclination to write about what you know, but the more I thought about it the more I liked the idea embedding a fiction in the city that I love, and infusing it with all the charm and nuance that people on the outside don't always get to see. That was the idea, at least, and The Golden Aces Trilogy grew from there.

Where to begin? Well, as a setting for a novel, what attracted me most was the city itself. Aesthetically it's a gold mine, and for any fiction writer who enjoys setting their scenes to a backdrop of striking landmarks Liverpool offers more possibilities than I could ever hope to mention in one article. Places like the Albert Dock, the Liverpool and Metropolitan Cathedrals, the Liver Building, and St George's Hall have all made their way into my novels, and with so many spectacular locations scattered around Merseyside I find it incredible that more visual fiction isn't set here (though recent shows like the BBCs Good Cop have gone some way to remedying this anomaly).

Next came the people, and the 'Scouse' culture in general. Too often in the past I've found that when Liverpudlians make their way into fiction, be it books, films, or television, they usually become little more than caricatures; funny little fellas in tracksuits, or the occasional psychopath. The wealth of charm and wit often referenced about scousers doesn't always make it into their fictional representatives, and for me that was a key motivation when I was writing both Poisoned Arrows, and the follow up Shattered Empire. I wanted to present the Liverpool I knew, the one filled with witty, charming, resilient characters that had a depth and a subtlety completely detached from their accents. More so than most English cities I've always felt that scousers struggle to shake off the stereotypes that follow them around, maybe I'm just more aware of it because I've been through it first hand, but occasionally people can treat being from Liverpool like a stigma, when really it should be nothing less than a badge of honour.

What I've learnt most over the last few years writing these books, and it's a lesson which fills me with a great deal of pride, is that Liverpool has to capacity to be whatever it wants to be. It has so many different identities, and some might contradict each other at times, but they're all true in their own little way. It can present itself as an artistic hub, the Rock'n'Roll band that ignited a worldwide phenomenon can testify to that, as can the city's enviable collection of museums and art galleries.

It can be a historical city, tapping into its role as the Second Port of the Empire, and the importance it played in a dominant period of British history. Crime and poverty can also push us in another direction, towards more of those unflattering stereotypes that I alluded to earlier, while if ever anyone needed convincing of the city's unity, or strength of character, one only has to look at the way Liverpool has come together in the campaign of justice for the 96. It is a city with more faces than postcodes, and that kind of diversity can't help but be positive.

That's not to say that it's all been plain sailing. I do generally believe that in some small pockets of the country there is still a prejudice towards Scousers that has endured since the eighties. In addition to that there are obviously elements of Liverpool that aren't perfect, and when you write about a place that you love it can be difficult to try and embrace those murkier sides. But I can say, hand on heart, that I've loved every second spent writing the Golden Aces Trilogy, exploring the city that raised me and building a little world within it. If over the course of the three books I've managed to give one reader an interest in the city that they might not otherwise have had, then I'll count it as a job well done. If not, then I'm sure someone else will come along soon to do a better job than me. Liverpool is a special place, and it deserves nothing less.

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Meet our new LDP Arts bloggerstag:blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk,2013:/ldpartsblog//1256.4116532013-06-27T08:50:45Z2013-06-27T09:15:41ZI'M THRILLED to introduce two new LDP Arts bloggers - Rachael Bentham and Ian D Hall, who will be regularly sharing their opinions and insights into the Merseyside cultural scene. Rachael is a freelance journalist, currently studying BA Journalism at...Laura Davis
I'M THRILLED to introduce two new LDP Arts bloggers - Rachael Bentham and Ian D Hall, who will be regularly sharing their opinions and insights into the Merseyside cultural scene.

Rachael is a freelance journalist, currently studying BA Journalism at Liverpool John Moores University in her final year. She is the deputy website editor on the student website and has been writing for the Liverpool Echo as a community reporter for over a year. I got to know Rachael when she was on work experience here and am really looking forward to reading more of her writing.

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Ian was brought up in Birmingham and spent the vast majority of his teenage years in Bicester, near Oxford. He travelled round America and Canada in his 20s and moved to Liverpool in 2004. In 2012, he graduated from the University of Liverpool with a degree in English Literature. I have had the privilege of getting to know Ian in the intervals of shows where we have both been reviewing and am very pleased he has agreed to write for this blog.

I am keen for this blog to be more collaborative and to reflect many different voices. If you would like to get involved - either on a regular basis or as a one-off guest blogger I'd love to hear from you.